Anorexia nervosa, bulimia. These eating disorders reflect a serious association with food and all it represents to some people. But if you’ve noticed, teenaged girls don’t necessarily have to go to those extremes to reveal they have a love hate relationships with food says Phyllis Cohen, co-author of You Have to Say I’m Pretty, You’re My Mother.

“What food means to a teen often is a threat. Food means fat. Fat means being a little baby. Being a baby means you don’t get to be your own person and grow up. And so it all becomes very threatening. And what has happened is that girls have lost the connection between food being fuel that your body needs, and they’ve converted into a bad habit. They restrict what they need to eat and then they get overly hungry and eat what is readily available and at hand.”

The Parent Report’s guest expert is Phyllis Cohen, co-author of You Have to Say I’m Pretty, You’re My Mother. Adapted from The Parent Report Radio Show. Any advice or information contained herein should never be a substitute for professional and/or medical advice, diagnosis and treatment. For more information please review Terms of Service.